Find your place in the field of good food

Our goal is to connect good people with good food. We advertise sustainable food jobs and training opportunities to help jobseekers and employers find each other.

Roots to Work is a project of Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming.

Job description

The Board of Directors 

As a CIC (Community Interest Company) Edible Landscapes London is governed by a Board of Directors. 

Our board of directors are all equal, with no overall Chair. We make decisions using a consent-based model (sociocracy) and seek to ensure that all voices have an equal platform in our meetings.  

We want our committee to represent and reflect the diversity within the Finsbury Park area and encourage interest from under-represented groups of all ages.   

Key Responsibilities 

Time Commitment: Approx. 3-4 hours per month, with additional time (approx. 1–2 days) required at financial year-end (September). 

Volunteer role: Please note this role is not remunerated. 

Purpose of the role: To oversee the financial integrity and accountability of Edible Landscapes London (ELL) by: 

• Providing oversight of financial transactions and record-keeping. 

• Ensuring due diligence and transparency in the management of funds. 

• Supporting the Project Coordinator (PC) to maintain compliant, accurate financial records. 

• Acting as a check and balance on financial procedures and safeguarding the organisation and its staff.   

Finance Director-specific Responsibilities 

1. Ongoing Financial Oversight (Monthly or Regular Tasks) 

• Review monthly bank statements to check for any irregularities or unexpected transactions. 

• Ensure expense receipts and invoices are uploaded to Dropbox for all bank transactions. 

• Check income and expenditure records in the shared finance spreadsheet to confirm they align with bank statements. 

• Raise queries with the Project Coordinator where receipts, invoices, or descriptions are missing or unclear. 

• Monitor and maintain financial compliance, including ensuring that: 

• All payments to consultants are backed by valid invoices and UTR numbers (self-employment proof). 

• No payments or expenses are made without receipts. 

2. Ad-hoc tasks 

• Liaise with the bank on non-transactional matters (e.g. signatories, address changes). 

• Review and finalise ELL’s draft finance policy, ensuring it reflects current practice and compliance requirements. 

• Support development and review of contracts (especially for freelancers), ensuring terms are clear and legally compliant. 

3. End of Financial Year (September) 

• Work with the Project Coordinator to review the final year’s financial spreadsheet, ensuring: 

• Bank data, income, and expenses sheets are in date order. 

• Totals and subtotals reconcile across all sheets. 

• Any missing receipts or explanatory notes are clearly recorded.   

• Check that the final year-end accounts are accurate and ready to be passed to the accountant. 

• Participate in reviewing the accountant’s draft accounts before submission and sign-off at the AGM. 

4. Liaison and Support 

• Support Project Coordinator (PC) on financial processes where needed, providing oversight and guidance. 

• Advise ELL Directors on any financial risks, procedural issues, or compliance concerns. 

 

General Director-specific Responsibilities 

As well as the Finance-specific tasks, below are the other responsibilities and expectations of all Directors at ELL: 

• Ensuring ELL stays aligned to and works towards our three core objectives 

• Reviewing the Seasonal Garden Action Plan (one produced per season) and providing feedback to the Forest Garden Manager and Project Coordinator 

• Attending the quarterly Board meetings (c.2hrs), annual strategy meeting (c.4-5hrs), and reporting progress in their area to the full Board at these meetings. All meetings are held locally in our garden in Finsbury Park or on Zoom remotely. 

• Ideally, we’d like Directors to also support with leading our Sunday volunteer session (10am-2pm) a few times per year (if they feel comfortable doing so), but we understand that for some this commitment is not possible. 

Application information

Please send your CV to alex@ediblelandscapeslondon.org.uk highlighting any skills and experience in finance and accounting. 

Please mention Roots to Work when applying for these jobs